billet1

[bil-it] /ˈbɪl ɪt/
noun
1.
lodging for a soldier, student, etc., as in a private home or nonmilitary public building.
2.
Military. an official order, written or verbal, directing the person to whom it is addressed to provide such lodging.
3.
a place assigned, as a bunk, berth, or the like, to a member of a ship's crew.
4.
job; position; appointment.
5.
Archaic. a written note, short letter, or the like.
verb (used with object), billeted, billeting.
6.
Military. to direct (a soldier) by ticket, note, or verbal order, where to lodge.
7.
to provide lodging for; quarter:
We arranged with the townspeople to billet the students.
verb (used without object), billeted, billeting.
8.
to obtain lodging; stay:
They billeted in youth hostels.
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English bylet, billett official register < Anglo-French billette, Old French bullette, equivalent to bulle bill1 + -ette -ette
Related forms
billeter, noun
unbilleted, adjective

billet2

[bil-it] /ˈbɪl ɪt/
noun
1.
a small chunk of wood; a short section of a log, especially one cut for fuel.
2.
Metalworking. a comparatively narrow, generally square, bar of steel, especially one rolled or forged from an ingot; a narrow bloom.
3.
an iron or steel slab upon concrete, serving as a footing to a column.
4.
Architecture. any of a series of closely spaced cylindrical objects, often in several rows, used as ornaments in a hollow molding or cornice.
5.
a strap that passes through a buckle, as to connect the ends of a girth.
6.
a pocket or loop for securing the end of a strap that has been buckled.
7.
thumbpiece.
8.
Heraldry. a small, rectangular figure with the longer sides generally vertical, said to represent a block of wood.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English bylet, bel(l)et < Anglo-French, Middle French billette, equivalent to bille log, tree trunk (< Gaulish *bilia tree trunk; compare Old Irish bile landmark tree) + -ette -ette
Examples from the web for billet
  • He is delighted with his billet-one where overnight guests are readily tolerated.
  • Here the molten metal is poured or cast from the tilted furnace into a mold to form a billet.
  • The billet later is worked into rods, tubes, wires or special shapes for a variety of uses.
  • They may need additional sizing and surface finishing, but they are nearly as strong as metal billet materials.
  • billet addendums are really specific to the officer and are not specific to the billet.
  • However, near the edge of the billet, there is a sharp drop in density.
British Dictionary definitions for billet

billet1

/ˈbɪlɪt/
noun
1.
accommodation, esp for a soldier, in civilian lodgings
2.
the official requisition for such lodgings
3.
a space or berth allocated, esp for slinging a hammock, in a ship
4.
(informal) a job
5.
(archaic) a brief letter or document
verb -lets, -leting, -leted
6.
(transitive) to assign a lodging to (a soldier)
7.
(transitive) (informal) to assign to a post or job
8.
to lodge or be lodged
Derived Forms
billetee, noun
billeter, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Old French billette, from bulle a document; see bull³

billet2

/ˈbɪlɪt/
noun
1.
a chunk of wood, esp for fuel
2.
(metallurgy)
  1. a metal bar of square or circular cross section
  2. an ingot cast into the shape of a prism
3.
(architect) a carved ornament in a moulding, with short cylinders or blocks evenly spaced
Word Origin
C15: from Old French billette a little log, from bille log, probably of Celtic origin
Word Origin and History for billet
v.

1590s, "to assign quarters to," earlier, as a noun, "official record or register" (Middle English), from Anglo-French billette "list, schedule," diminutive of bille (see bill (n.1)). Related: Billeted; billeting.

n.

thick stick of wood, mid-15c., from Middle French billette, diminutive of bille "stick of wood" (see billiards).

"document, note;" see billet-doux.